Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton in the second half against the Denver Nuggets. Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Three Indiana Pacers New Year's resolutions to follow

Originally posted on Indianapolis Pacers on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Dec 30, 2025 4:45 PM ET

The Indiana Pacers are looking to quickly get to 2026 after a disastrous final few months of the 2025 calendar year.

Some members of the Indiana Pacers On SI staff came up with New Year's resolutions for the team going into January.

Ethan J. Skolnick

This is a lost season, one that will likely yield a high lottery pick. But the Pacers must resolve to determine who can be part of the future, along with that pick, Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. Is Bennedict Mathurin worth the projected price as a secondary scoring option? Can Andrew Nembhard and others reprise their key supporting roles once there's something to play for? Those are questions that must be answered.

Jeremy Brener

The Pacers need to simply move forward. They need to forget 2025 even existed in 2026. That goes with both the bad and the good. Placing the NBA Finals expectations on this team in the future is going to set the Pacers up for failure. Thinking about the last couple of months and how they've gone will drag them down into the bottom of the league.

The Pacers need to focus on the future with whichever draft pick they end up taking early in the first round and starting anew with Tyrese Haliburton coming in the way. It won't be a pretty first half of 2026 for the Pacers, but if they can weather the storm, they might be able to come out of it on the right side. We could be looking at a very different Indiana squad 12 months from now.

Tony Mejia

Besides getting Rick Carlisle his 1,000th win sooner than later, the Pacers should promise not to complicate matters for themselves by winning unnecessarily down the stretch. A lot of the heavy lifting has already been done thanks to their brutal start, so putting themselves in the best position to lock up a top-3 pick in a loaded draft is ideal. Tyrese Haliburton won't be playing this season, so the only other matter to get resolves is deciphering whether Bennedict Mathurin is worth a long-term commitment.

The Pacers' final game of the calendar year comes at home against Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic. Tip-off is scheduled for 3pm ET on New Year's Eve inside Gainbridge Field House. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.